Cost of living keeps many working women with pain on the job, survey finds

A new Australian survey released for WorkSpace Week 2026 found women are more likely than men to have work-related musculoskeletal pain, less likely to seek treatment and more likely to keep working through it. The findings come as new national compensation and health data show musculoskeletal injuries remain a major workplace and economic burden.

Why it matters: - Work-related musculoskeletal disorders, or WMSDs, can become chronic if workers delay diagnosis or treatment. - The survey suggests cost-of-living pressure is keeping many women at work while injured, which can worsen health outcomes and lengthen time off later. - The findings land alongside national data showing musculoskeletal injuries account for the majority of serious workers’ compensation claims in Australia.

What happened: - The Australian Chiropractors Association commissioned Pureprofile to survey 1,056 people who have worked in Australia at some point in their lives. - The survey was released for national WorkSpace Week 2026, held 19-25 October. - Women were more likely than men to report WMSD pain or injury, less likely to seek treatment and more likely to push through pain. - 87% of women currently working reported WMSD pain or injury, compared with 80% of men.

The details: - Since 2023, the share of women reporting WMSD pain or injury rose from 76% to 79%, while the share of men fell from 77% to 73%. - Among working women ages 18 to 24, 92% reported WMSD pain or injury. - Among women ages 25 to 30, 85% reported WMSD pain or injury, compared with 66% of men in the same age group. - Working fewer hours did not reduce risk for women. 91% of women working part-time reported WMSD pain, the same as women working full-time, and above the 76% of men working part-time. - Dr Ali Young, chair of ACA Women in Chiropractic, said financial pressure is playing a big role in women’s decisions to manage their health. - 54% of working women with pain said the cost of living had prevented them from taking time off to let an injury heal, compared with 36% of men. - 46% of women said job security concerns kept them from taking time off, compared with 34% of men. - 43% of women said they had never told their employer about their WMSD pain, compared with 37% of men. - 56% of women said they were too busy to take movement breaks during work hours, compared with 48% of men. - 13% of women worried that taking breaks would make them look less productive, compared with 8% of men. - 9% of women with pain made ergonomic adjustments to how they work, compared with 16% of men. - 31% of women said they did not ask their employer for ergonomic improvements. - Women were more likely than men to report work-related headaches or migraines, at 66% versus 55%, and neck or shoulder pain, at 66% versus 57%. - 23% of women reported regular headaches, compared with 13% of men. - Untreated pain was more common among women across major pain types, including back pain, neck or shoulder pain, and headaches or migraines. - 45% of women reported untreated back pain, compared with 33% of men. - 49% of women reported untreated neck or shoulder pain, compared with 38% of men. - 55% of women reported untreated headaches or migraines, compared with 46% of men. - 34% of women with work-related pain relied on over-the-counter medication, compared with 22% of men. - 49% of women had seen a GP, compared with 58% of men. - 71% of women had at least one condition that had not been diagnosed or treated, compared with 57% of men. - Women were more likely than men to say their pain often or always contributed to frustration or irritability, anxiety, and depression or feeling low. - 29% of women reported frustration or irritability, compared with 20% of men. - 25% of women reported anxiety, compared with 18% of men. - 21% of women reported depression or feeling low, compared with 14% of men. - Dr Young said undiagnosed and untreated WMSDs can develop into chronic musculoskeletal disorders lasting more than three months. - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data shows 30.8% of women live with a chronic musculoskeletal condition, compared with 26.8% of men. - AIHW data also shows musculoskeletal disorders cost the health system $17.5 billion in 2024-25, up $1.2 billion in one year. - Dr Young listed common WMSD risks as lifting, pushing, pulling, bending, repetitive movements, poor posture, prolonged driving, desk work and technology use in non-ergonomic workspaces. - Prevention steps include improving posture, regular exercise and breaks, stretching and strengthening, ergonomic workstations, task-specific changes, equipment modifications, manual-handling education and organizational changes that balance work hours and workloads.

Between the lines: - The survey points to a gap between injury prevalence and treatment behavior, with women more likely to absorb pain instead of reporting it or changing work conditions. - That pattern may reflect a mix of cost-of-living pressure, job insecurity and workplace culture around productivity. - The data also suggests part-time work alone does not protect women from WMSDs, which could matter for employers that assume reduced hours mean lower physical risk. - Safe Work Australia data released at the same time reinforces that musculoskeletal injuries are not a niche issue; they are a major share of serious claims. - In 2024-25, women made up 42.5% of Australia’s 147,200 serious workers’ compensation claims, or 62,100 claims. - Women’s share of serious claims has risen 6.2 percentage points over the past decade. - From age 45, women had a higher serious-claim rate than men. - Women lost a median 9.0 weeks per serious claim, compared with 8.0 weeks for men in 2023-24. - Health care and social assistance recorded the largest share of serious claims at 20.9%, an industry where women make up much of the workforce.

What’s next: - ACA is directing workers and employers to free resources at workspaceweek.org.au to help reduce WMSD risk. - The materials include checklists, exercise posters, factsheets and podcasts. - Employers are being urged to act earlier, before pain becomes chronic and more costly to workers and workplaces.

The bottom line: - The survey shows cost-of-living pressure is keeping many Australian women working through musculoskeletal pain, often without treatment, and that delay may be turning a common workplace injury into a longer-term health and economic problem.